A Really Effective Way to Put Off Your Writing (Also Known as the Fall Lineup)

by Kristin Baker Przybyla

I'm not generally known as a couch potato. Up until last year, there was really nothing that interested me on TV, unless they were showing one of my favorite movies. I'd walk past my husband, who spends his after-work hours glued to the couch with his eyeballs stuck to the television, with my nose in the air, sniffing in disdain at all the time he was wasting. I really loved to rub in my self-righteousness, that I wasn't addicted to the boob tube and losing brain cells daily (except for maybe Spongebob in the morning).

But those darn TV execs finally figured out how to suck me in. And if it's not a brand-new fall show or long-awaited returning season, then a few of my friends are at fault for introducing me to something I hadn't known about before. I love the latter the most, because I can have Netflix or internet marathons without grinding my teeth waiting for the newest season or episode.

This was the one that had us yelling at the TV at the end of the first season, and now it's killing me with all the cliffhangers in the new episodes! I love a great zombie story, and The Walking Dead always has me gripping the nearest family member in suspense. At times it's almost too gory for me to handle (I'm not desensitized to blood and violence AT ALL), but I'm addicted anyway. LOVE this show. (Also: that misspelling of "you're" in the trailer. Seriously? LOL)

For a kid who was scared of her own shadow, I'm surprised I read the original works of Grimm in the 3rd grade and wasn't scarred for life. I can't wait to see this show! I'm really looking forward to a modern-day version of the Grimm fairytales. It looks scary and suspenseful. I actually don't know if it's playing yet, because we have the bare minimum of channels on Dish. We watch almost everything online or on Netflix.

Thanks to my 18-year-old's having way too much time on her hands because she hasn't been able to find a job yet, we've been having a 30 Rock marathon. Why didn't anyone tell me before how funny this show is? This is totally me if anyone takes my food. I can relate to Liz here. (BTW, I really want a sandwich right now!)

Doctor Who. Need I say more? I still haven't seen the last 3 episodes, which my 11-year-old says were epic.

And then my really guilty pleasures are the cartoons! Adventure Time is weird but hilarious, and I suspect it's written more for kids-at-heart than kids.

And finally: My Little Pony. I'm from the generation which saw the first My Little Pony toys, and I preferred playing with them rather than Barbie. The new cartoon series is actually really cool. Laugh at me if you want, but you should really be laughing at my 18-year-old. She freaks out over the toys at Walmart! (This is a fan-made trailer, but for the fans of the cartoon, aka Bronies, it's a pretty accurate depiction of what the show is like.)

Okay, I think that's about it for my TV weaknesses. There are a few other good shows out there that I'd either love to watch or have watched in the past (Castle, Warehouse 13, Bones), but as every writer knows, sacrifices need to be made if you want to have any time at all for writing. We simply can't be couch potatoes if we want to take our craft seriously. Same goes for Facebook, games, and other online distractions (guilty here as well!). In fact, I think Facebook eats up much more of my writing time than any television show. I've been working on culling my online time so I can get those daily word counts in.

What are some of your favorite shows and/or distractions that take away from your writing, and how do you fit it all in?